Jun 24 Watch 3:01 Shifting policy, Obama pledges U.S. will ‘stand by’ families of hostages By PBS News Hour As the number of American hostage deaths have surged in the past year, some families have spoken out about being threatened with prosecution for considering paying ransom and feeling stonewalled by the government. Judy Woodruff reports on the White House’s… Continue watching
Jun 24 With policy shift, hostage family hopes to be last ‘that fails to receive’ government support By Larisa Epatko President Barack Obama announced a retooled hostage policy aimed at correcting the sense many families have that the government has let them down, he said Wednesday. One hostage family responds. Continue reading
Jun 24 Obama clears the way for hostages’ families to pay ransom By Julie Pace, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is clearing the way for families of U.S. hostages to pay ransom to terror groups without fear of prosecution, as the White House seeks to address criticism from those whose loved ones have been killed… Continue reading
Apr 24 Watch 4:21 Are ‘signature strikes’ on al-Qaida still necessary? By PBS News Hour Just how effective and precise can drone warfare be in fighting terrorists? Judy Woodruff talks to Greg Miller of the Washington Post about how the U.S. government deploys so-called “signature strikes” and the risk they pose to civilians. Continue watching
Apr 24 Watch 2:13 Obama: Review of hostage deaths may offer drone changes By PBS News Hour In January, a U.S. drone strike aimed at an al-Qaida target in Pakistan accidentally killed an American and an Italian hostage. In response, President Obama has suggested that a review of the events could offer improvements and changes. Judy Woodruff… Continue watching
Apr 24 Who were the four people killed in the CIA’s drone strikes in Pakistan? By Connie Cass, Associated Press WASHINGTON — A look at the lives of four men — two Western hostages and two American terror suspects — who were killed by CIA drone strikes in Pakistan. Continue reading
Apr 23 Watch 10:11 ‘Intelligence failures’ led to accidental drone deaths, says former counterterror center director By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Apr 23 Watch 3:16 Obama apologizes for drone-strike deaths of two hostages in Pakistan By PBS News Hour President Obama apologized to the families of two al-Qaida hostages -- an American and an Italian -- who were killed in January when a drone fired at a terrorist target in Pakistan. An independent review of the attack is underway. Continue watching
Dec 15 Watch 7:44 Deadly hostage siege in Australia was ‘act of a desperate man’ By PBS News Hour Australian police stormed a cafe in Sydney where a lone gunman had held several hostages for hours, ending the siege with heavy gunfire. Two hostages were killed, in addition to the suspect. Judy Woodruff learns more from Sydney-based journalist Stuart… Continue watching
Dec 15 Gunman named as café siege in Sydney ends By Larisa Epatko The man who held more than a dozen people hostage in a café in Sydney is believed to be self-described cleric Man Haron Monis, according to Australian news reports. Continue reading